Lessons from Wars of German Unification

Section 5 Questions:

1. What were the reasons for Prussian military supremacy during the wars of Germany unification? During the wars of German Unification, the Prussian army had military supremacy for several reasons; the use of the General Staff, their use of railroad strategies, their growth in number, and their new tactics. The General Staff, had been developed during the Napoleonic Wars, and it was used to develop new army doctrines and war strategies. However, it did not gain sufficiency until 1857 when Helmuth von Moltke was made Chief of the General Staff, and transformed it into the most effective of army leaderships in all Europe. It became intense on the study of previous campaign strategies, and mapping of the country which would be used for militant purpose. There was also the increase of use of the Railways, which they could use to send their troops on the first call on their required services. Prussia also extended its army to their people, allowing anyone of any social class to enlist. However, there was a slight change in years of service, instead of serving 2 years in the regular army, soldiers were required to serve 3 and this was followed by an additional 4 years of service in the army reserve. Never the less, their new recruits were now better educated and even better training wise. This helped to increase the Prussians army size to double its previous capacity, and increase its ability for a bid on greater status of power. Finally there was the increase of Prussian war tactics. Their use of faster mobilization, through railways and their increase in fire power due to breech-loading riffles gave them the extra boost in military efficiency. This allowed for the Prussian army to leave behind the full frontal attacks and instead allowed them to develop new war strategies, such as out flanking the enemy and finishing them off quickly by closing in on them. Thus, the Persian army able to become more efficient in military strategy and gain military supremacy.

2. What were the lessons drawn from these wars? There was one thing that could be taken from the Wars of German Unification, and that was to be more like Germany; That nations should change to become more like this one country that had dominated the French and the Austrians. Thus, the lessons learned were as follows, -Rapid mobilization via railroad, was of the utmost importance.

-You needed to pay very close attention to sweeping plans of attack. -The use of General staff was valuable and essential as the brain of military exploits. These were added to the concept of power and speed of attack being the main reason for the supremacy of the Prussians military excellence.

Section 6 Questions:

1. What impact did the introduction of the magazine rifle have on warfare? With the introduction of the magazine rifle, the impact it had on warfare was tumultuous. Unlike the previous gun styles, which held only one bullet at a time, the new guns could hold up nine bullets in the loading chamber. Better still, each bullet could be fired once every four seconds. Later, there was the development of metal encased cartridges and smokeless propellants, thus allowing for the gunman's position to be covered, without having to worry about gun smoke giving away their cover, or making it difficult to see. And finally, the most important of all, was the change in the number of cartridges someone could carry, from sixty rounds to two hundred rounds.

2. Why were many military commanders reluctant at first to use the machine gun? Many of the military commanders were very reluctant at first to use the machine gun because it was a serious challenge to their beliefs of how warfare should be. They had once believed that it was an individuals courage, morale, and the discipline of their specific fighting forces ,was far more important than anything technology was capable of producing. They feared that the machine gun would some how lessen the value of the individual fighting unit.

3. What advances did artillery make during the last half of the nineteenth century? There were several advances made in artillery during the last half of the nineteenth century. The application of the stronger steel technology was one, which increased accuracy and the potental ability to win battles. The light weight, the change in mobility, and better range enhanced the weapons. Finally, there was the development of new explosive devices like cordite, TNT, and lyddite that did not give away the firer's position and gave far better range for attack than before.

Section 7 Questions:

1.Why did commanders cling to the idea of the offensive? How is this reflected in their strategic plans and military build up? Commanders clung to the idea of the offensive, because the had been part of the Napolitic era and had been part of the full frontal assults.